South Sudan: Briefing and Consultations
On Tuesday morning (11 November), the Security Council will hold an open briefing and closed consultations on the situation in South Sudan and the work of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix is expected to brief on the Secretary-General’s latest 90-day report (S/2025/706), which was circulated to Council members on 4 November and covers developments from 16 July to 15 October. UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous is also expected to brief. A civil society representative may also brief.
Prior to the meeting, nine signatories to the Shared Commitments on Women, Peace and Security (WPS)—Denmark, France, Greece, Guyana, Panama, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and the UK—are expected to deliver a joint statement on WPS in South Sudan. The US, which signed on to the Shared Commitments in 2023, will not participate in the joint statement.
Persistent violations of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and the stalled implementation of its key provisions remain among the primary sources of instability in the country. The latest Secretary-General’s report observes that power-sharing arrangements established under the revitalised agreement were almost entirely eroded, resulting in further deterioration of the country’s political landscape. During the reporting period, “unilateral reshuffles” removed representatives of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) and replaced them with members of a splinter faction led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol. In response, the SPLM-IO made its own appointments to state- and country-level positions in areas under its control, resulting in the “reemergence of the parallel governance structures that existed prior to the establishment of the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity” (RTGoNU).
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit has also continued a pattern of restructuring positions within his own faction, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), through the issuance of successive presidential decrees. The latest changes include the ministers of finance, justice and constitutional affairs, and parliamentary affairs as well as the Chief of Defence Forces of the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF). The presidential decrees gave no explanations for the dismissals or appointments. Some analysts have argued that the motivation behind the reshuffles appears to be aimed at consolidating greater control over state institutions and weakening of opposition and allied groups.
South Sudan’s security situation remains precarious across several regions of the country amid increased confrontations between the SSPDF and the SPLM-IO, alongside other opposition and allied groups. According to the Secretary-General’s report, the SSPDF conducted repeated aerial and riverine offensives in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states, targeting SPLM-IO positions in Fangak, Pigi, and Nasir counties, among others. This resulted in 41 people killed, 65 injured, and 18 abducted in four incidents. In response, SPLM-IO forces and the White Army—comprised of armed youth from the Nuer community—carried out ambushes and sporadic counterattacks, including in Nasir, Pigi, and Mathiang counties. Targeting of civilians and humanitarian personnel by unknown armed elements and organised forces also continued to be observed in Central and Western Equatoria states.
Experts have noted that the current situation is the closest the country has come to renewed civil war since the signing of the 2018 revitalised agreement. On 29 October, the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan—which was established by the Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2016—warned that “all indicators point to a slide back toward another deadly war”, noting in this regard the systematic violations of key provisions of the R-ARCSS, political detentions, the use of aerial bombardments by the government in civilian areas, and the lack of implementation of the ceasefire agreement, among other issues. It further stressed that the “international community must recognise that the peace process is being dismantled in plain sight, and they should act before it’s too late”.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the briefers and several Council members are likely to call for a return to the ceasefire and urge all parties to exercise maximum restraint. They may also call on all leaders to uphold their commitments to implement the peace agreement, particularly the transitional security arrangements, and to engage in inclusive, consensus-based decision-making. Some may also stress the importance of adhering to sanctions measures in South Sudan, with a particular focus on effectively enforcing the arms embargo.
Some Council members may also call for the release of political detainees, including First Vice-President Riek Machar and seven SPLM-IO officials, who were charged with murder, treason, and crimes against humanity on 11 September. (For background and more information, see the brief on South Sudan in our April 2025 Monthly Forecast and 18 March What’s in Blue story.) Trial proceedings against Machar and other officials are ongoing. Several Council members may call for judicial proceedings to be conducted with fairness and transparency, and in line with international due process standards.
In addition to the worsening security environment, the Secretary-General’s report notes numerous violations of the status of forces agreement (SOFA), highlighting ongoing access denials. Between 16 July and 30 September, UNMISS documented 129 SOFA-related incidents, 111 of which involved government-imposed movement restrictions affecting UNMISS patrols in nine states. On Tuesday, some Council members may condemn these incidents, reaffirm their support for UNMISS, and urge the authorities to cooperate fully with the mission. These members may also underline the need to provide adequate resources to enable effective mandate implementation.
Several Council members are also expected to express concern over the country’s worsening humanitarian crisis, including rising food insecurity. The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report, dated 4 November, projected that an estimated 7.56 million people—over half of the population—will experience crisis or worse levels of hunger during the 2026 lean season (April to July). The report also found that more than two million children are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition during this period. Severe flooding and the adverse humanitarian, security, and socioeconomic effects of the ongoing hostilities in Sudan are among other challenges compounding South Sudan’s already dire humanitarian situation.
Impediments to humanitarian access, including attacks on humanitarian workers and looting of humanitarian assets, are another matter of concern for Council members. The Secretary-General’s report documented at least 142 violent incidents targeting humanitarian staff, compounds, and supplies, resulting in the disruption of humanitarian aid delivery. The briefers and several Council members are likely to underscore the parties’ international legal obligations to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as medical and humanitarian personnel, and condemn the deliberate targeting of these individuals and facilities.
Speakers are also expected to raise concerns about incidents of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) and stress the importance of accountability and justice. The Secretary-General’s report documented and verified 45 incidents of CRSV affecting 79 survivors (53 women, 26 girls) during the period covered. Bahous may also brief on other negative trends that undermine gains on gender equality and women’s rights in the country. She might note in this regard, as the Secretary-General’s report does, that the presidential decrees on appointments and removals of key officials “neglected the gender provisions” of the R-ARCSS. The current level of women’s representation in leadership roles stands at 20 percent, failing to meet the 35 percent quota outlined in the agreement.
The UN-wide financial crisis facing peacekeeping operations and its potential implications for UNMISS may also be discussed during Tuesday’s meeting. On 17 October, the final day of his visit to Juba, Lacroix briefed the diplomatic community about the effects of the current financial situation on the mission. He stressed that the ongoing financial crisis, caused by significant shortfalls in the payment of assessed contributions, would require UNMISS to cut its spending by 15 percent during the remaining eight months of the financial year. This statement echoes Secretary-General António Guterres’ 10 October letter, which noted that all peacekeeping missions have been instructed to implement contingency plans to reduce expenditures by 15 percent, affecting both uniformed and civilian components. As a result, 25 percent of uniformed personnel and their equipment will need to be repatriated in the coming months.
The South Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly sent a note verbale to UNMISS on 28 October requesting that any reductions be carried out in phases and only be applied to international staff. The note requested the reduction of international military contingents by 70 percent, while retaining civilian UN capacities. It also called for all UNMISS aircraft with installed intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities “to be immediately grounded, pending decision from the authorities”.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Lacroix, Bahous, and Council members may raise concerns over how the austerity measures announced by Guterres will affect UNMISS’ mandate delivery, especially at a time when South Sudan is experiencing escalating political tensions and violence.
